


Deliverance

by Dearly_Divided



Category: Far Cry 5
Genre: Abduction, Angst, Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Discussions of abuse, Domestic Violence, Emotional Manipulation, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Torture, Jealousy, Kind of Sweet, Minor Character Death, Murder, Obsession, Original Character(s), Physical Abuse, Polyseed, Possessive Seeds, Pre-Relationship, Protective Seeds, Unhealthy Relationships, Violence, but in a very unhealthy way
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2020-01-14 12:28:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18476242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dearly_Divided/pseuds/Dearly_Divided
Summary: Jacob was the first to speak, squatting down beside the bed so his eyes were level with Rook’s. “How long?”“How long have I been married for?”His eyes narrowed, “How long has your husband been beating you?”





	Deliverance

It was a mistake, letting him back into her life.

Rook had run to the other side of the country to escape her husband, found a new job as a Junior Deputy, a new community that welcomed her with open arms, never once questioning why some pretty young thing like herself had moved from a big city to a tiny town in the middle of Montana.

Hope County was her fresh start she needed.

It took Tom six months to show up at her doorstep with tears in his eyes and flowers in his hand begging for her forgiveness.

He’d changed. He was seeing a therapist. He’d taken anger management courses. He loved her more than anyone else in the world. He would never lay a _finger_ on her again, he swore that one on his mother’s grave. 

He just wanted a chance to prove that he could be better, do better.

“I love you, I love you so much, baby, please, I’m begging you, just please-“

The sight of him on his knees before her, clutching at her legs and weeping… how could she say no?

People can change. Forgiveness was healthy. Tom was her husband (technically).

He was willing to stay in Hope County for as long as it took to convince her to come back to him. 

They agreed to take it slow. Tom booked out a room in the motel down the road from her place, he took her out on dates, always acting like the gentleman that she’d fallen in love with. He’d shown up at work a few times with flowers for her, sometimes lunch if he knew she was in for a busy day. Pratt and Hudson had teased her mercilessly about that, but she couldn’t help the blush that stained her pale cheeks. He’d never put so much effort into wooing her, and Rook couldn’t help but melt a little every time he went out of his way to make her day better.

When things started to heat up with the Project at Eden’s Gate, he asked to move in with her.

“I couldn’t bear the thought of something happening to you. You protect this town, let me protect you.”

Tom had wrapped her in his arms, stroking her back so lovingly she hadn’t even questioned it, she just said yes.

The first time they fought was when Tom found out the Sheriff was making her go along to arrest Joseph Seed. He was furious, worried about her safety. He’d started yelling at her and Rook couldn’t help but flinch and curl in on herself, waiting for the blow that would inevitably follow. The backhand stung in more ways than one; he’d hit her harder before, left her black and blue, but after everything he’d done Rook had finally started to believe that maybe he’d actually meant what he’d said.

_“_ Fuck… FUCK! I didn’t mean it, baby, I’m sorry, hey, look at me, I’m sorry, I let my anger get the best of me. I just- the thought of you being in danger kills me, I get so worried. You know I didn’t mean to hurt you, hey, shh, it’s alright. I love you, baby. It was a mistake, I swear it won’t happen again.”

He’d kissed her, gently at first, wiping away her tears, then more fervently, as if the only way he could make things right was by proving to her exactly how much he loved her. Rook, stunned more than hurt, let him.

When she got to the station the next morning both Pratt and Hudson were already there, coffee in hand, Hudson laughing at some joke Pratt had just told her. Both turned to greet her, but whatever mirth they’d had was sucked from their faces as they noticed the bruise on her cheek. Rook fought to keep a cheerful expression as the two shared a stony look.

“You okay there, Rookie?” Hudson asked a little too pointedly, staring at her as she took a long sip of coffee. 

Rook offered her a sheepish smile, shrugging. “Yeah, I’m fine. Slipped getting out of the shower this morning.”

“You _slip_ often?” Pratt asked with narrowed eyes. Shit.

Rook opened her mouth to respond just as the Deputy Marshal and Whitehorse walked in and told them all to get their asses ready.

A mere hour later they were in the chopper, and Rook was trying her absolute best to keep her cool. Hope County wasn’t exactly a hive of criminal activity, the most she’d ever had to do before was break up a few bar fights, but this… this was something else entirely. 

“Hey, you’re gonna be fine, Rook.” It was Hudson, sitting across from her. “We got your back.”

Rook got the feeling she wasn’t just talking about the arrest.

The rest of the trip passed in a timeless blur, and then they were on the ground, stalking through the compound.

Walking through the Church was something else entirely. Never had Rook been in a situation where she was the enemy. Every step she took filled her with dread as the clamouring in the Church grew louder. Whitehorse was shouting at Burke, who was yelling right back. Rook kept silent, focusing on the family standing before her.

Joseph, arms lowered in a mockery of submission, Jacob standing behind him, his hand casually fingering the handle of the large hunting knife holstered on his thigh, John, arms clasped calmly behind his back and Faith, smiling with such sickly-sweet serenity.

None of that was as disconcerting as the way that all four of them seemed to be focusing solely on her, the only one way out of their depth.

Joseph’s eyes in particular, obscured slightly behind those yellow sunglasses of his, appeared to be studying her face, as if trying to commit it to memory. She could feel the weight of his stare as he caught sight of the bruise, visible even in the dim lighting of the Church and she could have sworn he frowned.

“Cuff him, Rook,” Burke growled.

Why he was asking her, out of all of the considerably more seasoned and experienced officers was beyond her, but terrified or not, he’d given her an order and she wasn’t about to disobey.

“God will judge you for the choices you make today,” Joseph warned, addressing all of them, though his eyes never wavered from hers. “He will not let you take me.”

Rook grabbed the handcuffs from her belt, but before she could place them on Joseph Seed’s waiting wrists, Whitehorse blocked her.

“Not today, Rook. We’re leaving.” He spared a quick glance at the Father, before gripping her arm and almost tugging her backwards. “Sometimes it’s best to leave well enough alone,” he said, ignoring the furious Marshal berating them.

The four Seeds watched her go.

Rook couldn’t deny she was relieved when they touched back down in Fall’s End, even though part of her worried that they’d done was push back the inevitable. 

_He_ of course was thrilled when she returned home to him safe and sound. Not one word was spoken about his outburst the night before, it was water under the bridge. Domesticity resumed, and he was once again the affectionate, doting husband he’d promised he would be. 

Rook, as it turned out, was right. In failing to bring in Joseph Seed, they’d only given the cult a longer leash, a newfound sense of entitlement to do and take what they wanted.

Slowly but surely, Rook became more acquainted with the Seeds, who seemed to have an almost disturbing fixation with her.

Tom had pitched a fit when she told him she’d decided to join the resistance, but he didn’t lay a finger on her during their fight. Stupidly, Rook took that as a sign he was getting better.

He wouldn’t stop her from doing her job, but he sure as fuck wasn’t happy about it. He himself made no effort, choosing instead to stay in the relative safety of Fall’s End while she waged a guerrilla campaign against the Project.

That was fine, they could disagree with each other’s methods, but they were adults, fully capable of making their own choices. Rook chose to protect the people who’d taken her in as one of their own. 

It wasn’t perfect, nothing about the situation came close to being perfect, but they were working it out.

Then Pratt got taken, snatched by Jacob’s hunters.

Rook was determined to get him back, no matter what. He was her partner, her friend, and there was no fucking way she would let Jacob Seed sink his filthy claws into him.

Tom had been furious when she told him about her plan. He’d begged her to reconsider. He wanted her to run with him back to their old home that he’d kept _exactly_ as she’d left it. He wanted her to go back to being his dutiful little wife and start a family with him like he wanted and forget about all the murder and horrors of Hope County.

When she told him that she wasn’t going to abandon her friends or the people of this town, he got pissed. When she suggested that he leave without her if he was so worried about his own safety, Tom lost it.

By the time Rook regained consciousness, there was no sign of him. He was long gone.

It didn’t matter, none of it mattered, she told herself as tears streamed unbidden and unwanted down her face. She had a job to do, she wasn’t going to leave Staci to the wolves. 

xxx

_Block out the pain, keep going, breathe_.

She had to get to Pratt, nothing else mattered. Not the hunters on her tail, not the screaming agony of each step, only saving her friend.

One hit from a well-aimed arrow and Rook dropped like a marionette whose strings had been cut.

Jacob, of course, was pleased as punch when he got the call that his hunters had captured his Deputy once again. She’d evaded his brothers and Faith for weeks, and his hunters had managed to capture her in less than 48 hours. He wasn’t surprised, somewhere inside of her Rook knew where she belonged, she knew she needed him to show her her purpose, a task he was more than happy to assist with. 

His enthusiasm however, faded a great deal when he caught sight of her.

Rook’s face was swollen, purplish bruises developing across her cheek. Her lip was split and there was a gash above her left eye. Her shirt had ridden up, and Jacob could see the tell-tale signs of broken ribs, dark angry looking marks spread along her chest and stomach, like she’d been thrown into something, or maybe kicked. Her ankle was twisted. There was a distinctive hand shaped bruise decorating her neck, someone had tried choking her, hard too, from the looks of things. Her wrist was swollen too, he wouldn’t be surprised if that was broken, or at the very least fractured. Someone had given the Deputy an absolute beating. 

“Which one of you did this?” His voice was quiet, deadly calm, but his men weren’t stupid.

The bravest of the bunch stepped forward. “We found her like this, I swear on the Father. We didn’t lay a finger on her.”

Jacob’s eyes narrowed dangerously. The soldier gulped.

“She was barely standing when we got to her. Went down with a single shot, don’t even think she realised she was being hunted.”

Jacob turned on his heel to study his hunters, “You better fucking hope so. If I find out you’re lying to me, I’ll feed you to my Judges as a chew toy.” He glanced back at the Deputy, passed out in the back of the truck. “Put her in my room.”

No questions were asked as he stalked away. He trained his men better than that. 

Her wounds were fresh, less than a day old, two at the most. Last he heard, Rook had been running amok down in the Valley, maybe his brother’s soldiers had finally caught up with her. Still, he couldn’t quite imagine someone putting the Deputy in that state and failing to bring her in. Unless Rook had given worse than she’d got (she was strong, his Deputy, but she didn’t seem the type to beat someone to death with her bare hands), this wasn’t their handiwork, which meant that someone else had put their hands on Rook.

He pulled the radio from his hip, already tuned to the frequency he needed. “John. You there?”

A beat of silence. Then, “A little busy right now.” As if to prove his point a strangled scream cut across the airwaves, followed by a muffled thump. Jacob rolled his eyes. “What do you need?”

“Confessions can wait. Bring Joseph and get your asses up here, now. Someone’s been playing with things that don’t belong to them.”

xxx 

The first thing Rook became aware of when she came to was not the fact that she was warm in a bed, lying on a firm mattress that was definitely not her own, but rather the fact that her entire body was throbbing in pain. 

“Welcome back, Deputy.” She knew that voice all too well – John fucking Seed.

As if her day could not get any better.

With a pained groan Rook forced her eyes open and sure enough, standing at the foot on the bed were all three of her least favourite men, staring down at her like she was an animal in the zoo. 

A quick glance around the bare, shabby room told her exactly where she was – St Francis’ Veterans Centre. Not surprising, she’d been in bad shape on her way here, wouldn’t have taken much effort for his hunters to bring her down. What _was_ surprising was the fact that she was on a bed and not out in the cages like the other poor souls Jacob’s hunters brought in. They hadn’t even bothered to cuff her to the bed, no doubt well aware that with her injuries she was going nowhere quickly. Nevertheless, Rook was almost insulted.

“Any particular reason I’m not in a cage, or dead for that matter?” God, even talking hurt. 

Jacob huffed out a mocking laugh, “Don’t sound so disappointed, pup. More than happy to take you downstairs and throw you in one if you want it so bad.”

Joseph gave him a disapproving stare, “I’ve told you before, my child, we have no intention of harming you.”

Rook scoffed at that. Between Jacob’s psychotic conditioning and John’s twisted version of confession, she wasn’t sure the Father understood what the word _harming_ entailed. 

“Your place has always been by our side, Deputy. God has shown me your purpose, and it is not with the sinners you so eagerly align yourself with.” 

“Especially not when they treat you so poorly, darling,” John added, taking a seat on the bed next to her legs. Instinctively Rook jerked them away, biting back a scream as a blinding burst of pain wracked her entire body. The fucking bastard just smiled at her, placing his hand on her thigh as if to soothe her. 

Clenching her teeth, Rook glared up at him, “The resistance didn’t do this.”

“No?” Jacob asked, his eyes narrowing. “Then who did, Dep? Someone put you through the fuckin’ ringer and it sure as shit wasn’t us.”

Rook just stared at the ceiling, biting her tongue. 

“Why protect them? They hurt you, Rook. _Beat_ you. Surely such wrath deserves to be punished,” Joseph said, reaching down to gently brush a stray curl from her face. It was a gesture entirely too affectionate for a man who’d literally gouged out someone’s eyes with his bare hands.

Blinking back tears, Rook kept her silence. She wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of mocking her weakness for allowing this to happen _again_. Jacob would have an absolute fucking field day. He’d probably get along quite well with her husband. Maybe they’d make him an honorary Herald.

Just how stupid did one have to be to let a man who put them in hospital back into their lives?

Irritated by her silence, Jacob scowled at her like she’d pissed in his cornflakes. “If you know what’s good for you, pup, you’ll answer the question.” Something told her he wasn’t used to being ignored. Tough.

“None of your fucking business,” she retorted venomously. It truly wasn’t. Unless they wanted to congratulate him for putting her in this state, they had no right to pry. They weren’t her friends and they sure as fuck weren’t her family.

In hindsight, Rook should have just kept her mouth shut, because a look of sudden realisation dawned across John’s face. “Oh, my dear Deputy, I take it this is not the first time that this,” he gestured to the multitude of injuries that littered her body, “Has happened?” 

Rook met his stare head on, “Why do you care? Pissed that someone else got to me first?”

If she didn’t know better, Rook could have sworn that John Seed almost looked _hurt_.

“John’s right,” Joseph murmured, deep in thought. “You were injured the night you tried to arrest me… your face was bruised, like someone had hit you.”

Something shifted in Jacob’s expression, like he was sifting through the pieces of a puzzle. “Peaches,” he called out, grinning slowly in a way that sent shivers down Rook’s spine. “Get in here.” 

Peaches, who the fuck- her question was answered a mere moment later when the door to the room creaked open and in shuffled Staci. 

Rook’s heart seized at the sight of him. He looked like he’d been through hell, and knowing Jacob, he probably had been. His eyes flitted nervously between Jacob and the floor, until he caught sight of the bed, or more accurately, Rook lying in it.

His eyes widened and his jaw dropped in horror as he appraised her, ignoring the three imposing figures entirely. Rook hadn’t seen herself since it happened, but she could imagine well enough how awful she must have looked.

“Rook,” it was barely more than a strangled gasp, but it hurt like all hell. He didn’t move from his position near the door, wringing his hands like there was something, _someone_ holding him back from running to her. 

She let out a shuddering breath of her own, “Heya Stace, I’m here to rescue you.” The words sounded hollow even to her ears, and Staci flinched like he’d been struck. Maybe not the best time for black humour. 

Jacob snorted, folding his arms over his chest. “Focus up, peaches. Didn’t bring you in here for a fuckin’ reunion." 

“Language,” Joseph admonished half-heartedly.

Immediately Staci’s eyes dropped back to the floor.

“You know who did this to her?”

Rook’s heart dropped.

After a torturously drawn out beat, Staci nodded.

“Staci, don’t. _Please_.”

John’s hand tightened on her thigh in warning. “Hush, my dear.”

“Well don’t hold out on us. A _name_ , peaches.”

Staci swallowed, clearly uncomfortable. He met her gaze for a brief second, regret clear in his eyes. “Her husband – Tom Ryan,” he added quickly, mindful of Jacob’s command.

Rook winced, feeling three sets of very intense eyes focus on her. Her suspicion that they hadn’t known she was married was all but confirmed, and they sure as shit didn’t look happy about it.

But Staci wasn’t finished, “He’s an abusive piece of shit, _weak_ , not worth the air he breathes.” The words were soft, choked out, but there was a look in his eyes Rook hadn’t seen in a while. Protectiveness maybe? Anger definitely.

Jacob gave him a curious look, like he hadn’t expected the outburst from his little pet. Staci flinched, subtly curling in on himself as if he expected to be punished for speaking out of turn. “Get out,” was all he said, turning his attention back to the bedridden Rook. 

With one last, desperate look at her, Staci scampered out of the room, once again leaving Rook alone with her captors.

The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife. She couldn’t stand the way they were looking at her, like wolves closing in on their prey. They were furious, no doubt about it. From the way John’s jaw was clenched to Jacob’s twisted snarling expression, they wore their wrath on their sleeves. Even Joseph, normally the calmest of the three, was unusually cold in his demeanour, his eyes hard and his lips pressed tightly together.

Jacob was the first to speak, squatting down beside the bed so his eyes were level with Rook’s. “How long?”

“How long have I been married for?”

His eyes narrowed, “How long has your _husband_ been beating you?”

Rook sighed. What was the point anymore? “Why does it matter? You got what you wanted, either lock me up or leave me alone.” She knew she sounded like a petulant child, but Rook was beyond the point of caring. Her body was in agony, she was tired, upset and their constant poking and prodding about her past wasn’t helping.

John’s hand on her leg resumes its languid strokes, the gentleness of such an action belied by the sharpness of his gaze and the distinct glower on his face. “It matters. Answer the question, dearest.”

Rook knew a losing battle when she saw one. “Fine. You really want to know? We’d been married maybe six months the first time he hit me. We got into a fight, he was angry I’d stayed out too late with my friends and he slapped me. It got worse from there, and I stayed like an idiot for two whole years because I loved him. I was too weak to leave. Is that what you wanted to hear?”

Maybe this was John’s twisted way of doing the confession, baiting her into laying out all of her flaws for them to see and judge.

“You came to Hope County alone, and forgive me Deputy, but you don’t wear a ring,” Joseph said.

If this was her confession, better to get it over with. “He put me in hospital. I didn’t press charges, but I finally left and came here. I don’t wear the ring because we’re separated, or we _were_ at least.”

Joseph nodded, mulling her answer over. “But he came back?” he pressed. _And you let him back in_. Unspoken, but Rook heard it nonetheless. 

“He asked for a second chance, he told me he’d changed and I believed him. Sue me.”

“One last question, my dear,” John began. “What brought on this violent _display_ of wrath?”

Rook was silent for a moment. “Tom wanted me to leave Hope County and run back home with him. I told him I wasn’t going anywhere.” 

She could have sworn that a look of _pride_ crossed John’s face at her answer, but it was gone too quick for her to be sure.

With a gentleness she didn’t know he possessed Jacob tilted her chin so she was facing him once more. He was grinning at her, a predator’s gleaming smile. “That wasn’t so hard, was it, kitten?” he crooned.

Rook scoffed, “So back to the cages now confession’s over?” 

It was Joseph who answered, running his long fingers through her hair with a soft smile. “Of course not. Faith is preparing some Bliss for you as we speak, to help with your pain. John has arranged for a doctor to visit you shortly to look at your injuries. You will stay here for a week or so, until you’re more mobile, and then to the Ranch.” At her bewildered look he laughed. “I told you, Deputy, your place is with us, you will come to accept it. Rest now, my brothers and I have some work to do before we can properly welcome you home.”

xxx

They weren’t lying.

Over the next few days Rook was looked after. The doctor stopped by every day to check on her healing, Faith was on standby to give her Bliss to dull the pain _just_ enough to get through the day, she had access to the ensuite bathroom which included a surprisingly nice shower, she was well fed, and Joseph had ensured that she had plenty of pillows and blankets to keep her as warm and comfortable as possible. He visited her every day, to keep her ‘company’ while she healed. 

He never stayed for long, it was a busy job running a murderous doomsday cult after all, but each minute with him felt like a lifetime. He spoke to her, sometimes it was just preaching his bible bullshit, other times he spoke about his family, worst of all was when he held her hand and talked about her purpose by their side. He was strangely vague about what that ‘purpose’ actually entailed.

In fact, for someone who loved the sound of his own voice, he was surprisingly shit at giving her a direct answer to _any_ of her questions. He merely smiled politely and changed the subject, which irritated the fuck out of Rook almost as much as it terrified her.

Outside of his visits, Rook was left alone, locked in what she later realised was Jacob’s bedroom. She kept an eye out for Staci, hoping that she might catch a glimpse of him through an open door as her food was delivered, but she saw hide nor hair of her friend. It seemed now that Staci had fulfilled his purpose, he was being kept far, far away from her.

Six days into her forced rehabilitation at the Vet Centre, Joseph came to visit her as he always did. It was just after she’d finished up with her breakfast, and right from the moment he stepped inside the room, Rook could tell something was different. There was a strange glint in his eyes, his smile just slightly too wide. Something was off. Wrong.

“How are you feeling today, Deputy?” he asked, walking up to her bedside. 

Rook regarded him cautiously. “Just peachy,” she replied.

He didn’t pull up a chair to sit beside her, nor did he perch on the bed as he seemed to prefer. “Do you think you could manage a walk?” he asked.

Rook’s ankle twinged in pain just thinking about it, but she found herself nodding. Nothing, not her sprained ankle, not even Joseph’s weird vibes, would stop her from taking the chance to leave her gilded cage, even if it was only for a little while.

Joseph, to his credit, helped her get up from the bed and wrapped an arm around her waist so she could lean against him. She tried her best to ignore the familiarity of the gesture, the way his fingers seemed to caress her sides under the guise of helping her.

“You’re healing nicely, my child. Seems you’re stronger every day, Jacob would be proud,” he mused as he guided her down the hall.

Rook very much doubted that, but she didn’t say a word. Her ankle hurt more than she cared to admit, screaming out in protest with every step, but she didn’t focus on that either. No, Rook might have been backed into a corner, but she’d done her training and she wasn’t going to fuck up this opportunity that had been presented to her. Every door they passed, every guard stationed at every turn, every possible exit, Rook noted and catalogued. It might not be today, or tomorrow, but the first chance she got, Rook was getting the fuck out of this hellhole and far, far away from Joseph and his family. 

The moment that they stepped out into fresh air and sunlight however, Rook couldn’t stop the smile that graced her face. After days of nothing but the oppressively blank walls of that stupid room and the hard bed beneath her, it was glorious, even if the breeze was biting against her skin. Breathing deeply, Rook’s eyes fluttered shut and she let herself take a moment to relish in her momentary freedom, limited as it was. 

“Are you cold, Rook?” Joseph asked, concerned. 

Reluctantly she opened her eyes. “No, I’m fine.” She turned to find Joseph gazing down at her with that weird, affectionate smile of his, too familiar to sit well with her. “Where are we going?” 

“Not much farther,” he promised. 

Rook tried her best to ignore the curious looks from Jacob’s soldiers milling around the grounds of the Vet Centre. It didn’t slip past her that the thinly veiled hostility they’d previously regarded her with seemed to have disappeared entirely. With Joseph by her side they kept their mouths shut, or maybe they’d been trained better than to ask questions in general. Jacob didn’t seem the type to encourage free thinking in his troops.

Mindful of the litany of injuries she was still recovering from, Joseph guided her gently across the front of the building.

“You must forgive my brothers for their absence these past few days. It’s not that they didn’t wish to see you, they’ve been busy hunting something down for me,” he said as they rounded the corner. “A gift for you.”

Rook’s stomach twisted into knots as they came into view of Jacob’s training grounds. A gasp flew from her lips before she could stop it at the sight before her. 

Jacob and John were standing in front of the cages, but Rook barely noticed them. Her focus was on the man kneeling on the dirt in front of them, hands bounds, head bowed. 

Tom. 

Instinctively and with no regard to her injuries, Rook went to run to him only for Joseph’s arm to tighten around her waist, keeping her firmly by her side.

He was in awful shape. Joseph was right, his brothers _had_ been busy. Tom was shirtless, and as Rook walked closer she saw the countless sins John had carved into his skin again and again and again. _Wrath. Greed. Lust. Sloth._ The wounds were deep, some fresh and still weeping with blood while others looked older, coagulated and inflamed messes. He’d been beaten too, his face swollen, a black eye and what looked like a broken nose. Bruises of all different shapes and sizes littered his body, marring his tan skin with purples, red and blues. He was cradling one of his arms against him like a wounded animal, and Rook wondered which brother had broken it.

There was a tiny, awful part of her that was almost _pleased_ to see him broken and bleeding before her. He’d left her in a similar state after all, beaten and bruised on her kitchen floor.

Viciously, Rook shoved those thoughts away. She was not cruel, nor was she hateful. No one, not even her husband, deserved the kind of pain John and Jacob had put him through. 

“Morning, pup,” Jacob greeted as Joseph drew her nearer. He wasn’t quite smiling, but his posture was relaxed, his arms folded across his broad chest as he leaned against the cages. There was an air of smug satisfaction emanating from him as he stared at her. 

Beside him, John was the picture of delight, grinning widely at her. “Ah, Deputy, you’re looking better already. How are you feeling, my dear?” John asked, as if they were friends and he wasn’t standing behind the crumpled figure of her beaten and bloody abusive husband.

Rook’s heart was beating a mile a minute as she stared at her husband, the man who’d left her broken and unconscious on the floor of her home, then back up at her captors. “I don’t understand,” she whispered. Was this her fate? Were they taunting her? Did they think she would beg for mercy for his life? Would she? 

At the sound of her voice Tom stirred, lifting his head to meet her gaze, grimacing with the effort. “Rook, please-“ he rasped out, only to be cut off by a particularly vicious backhand courtesy of Jacob.

“Don’t believe I gave you permission to fucking talk to her, now did I?” he growled. Tom flinched, curling back in on himself, whimpering like a kicked puppy.

Rook must have flinched herself, for Joseph placed his other hand on her arm, gently rubbing soothing circles into the exposed skin. “Did I ever tell you that our father was abusive? He liked to hit us for the smallest transgressions,” he said, whispering the words directly into her ear. “Oh yes, he enjoyed the fear in our eyes almost as much as the actual pain he inflicted.”

Rook shuddered, though she wasn’t sure if it was from Joseph’s words, the intensity of his brothers’ watchful stares or the way she could feel every inch of him pressed so intimately against her.

He took a deep breath, almost nuzzling into the loose curls of her hair. “I could forgive him for hurting me, but never my brothers. When I was older, I tracked him down again. Do you want to know what I did to him when I found him, Rook?”

Rook shook her head, but he continued anyway, his voice colder than she had ever heard it. “I killed him. I squeezed the life out of him with my very hands while he pled for mercy.” She felt his lips brush against her cheek in a soft kiss. “Because that is what we do to those who _hurt_ our family.”

Rook met Tom’s gaze, his wide green eyes filled with tears, begging her to save him, to stop this, as if she had any power here. Seeing him on his knees like that reminded her of when he’d followed her to Hope County and begged for her to give him a second chance. He was scared, terrified, and he had every right to be.

John cleared his throat, drawing Rook’s attention away from the blubbering mess of her husband and back to him. “Some sinners are beyond redemption, Rook. Their souls are tainted, their sins run too deep. They must be purged.” Like Joseph there was not an ounce of mercy or compassion in his voice. 

Rook’s eyes flickered to Jacob, who was watching her intensely with an unreadable expression. “We protect what’s ours, pup.” It took her a moment to realise he was talking about _her_. God fucking help her, because her cheeks actually turned pink. 

“He won’t ever lay another hand on you,” Joseph murmured. “You’ll be safe with us, Rook. Protected from those who would harm you. Loved as you deserve to be loved.”

On the ground, Tom started to sob between unintelligible pleading. Both Jacob and John regarded him in disgust, glancing in synchronicity towards Joseph, waiting for the command.

Rook felt him nod, his chin coming to rest on her shoulder. A wide, feral grin lit Jacob’s face as he stepped forward.

“Please no, god no! Please, Rook, _help me_!” Tom screamed, sounding more like a wounded animal with each word that left his lips. With ruthless efficiency Jacob gripped Tom’s head in his hands and with a sickening crack he snapped his neck. Tom’s lifeless body slumped to the ground, only to be kicked aside by Jacob as he strode towards Rook, followed by John. 

Rook was transfixed by the sight of Tom’s body, his green eyes wide and unseeing, blood still seeping from his open wounds onto the dirt. Belatedly, she realised that even at the very end, it never occurred to him to apologise. He’d begged for his life, not for her forgiveness. Rook hadn’t even lifted a finger to stop them, hadn’t uttered a sound. It wouldn’t have saved him (she knew that beyond a shadow of a doubt), but she didn’t even try. 

She couldn’t tear her eyes away, at least until John stepped in front of her and with a gentle grip tilted her chin up to meet his piercing blue eyes. 

“Don’t waste another thought on him, my dear.” His tattooed fingers left her chin to gently caress her cheek with the lightest of touches. “Now, let’s get you inside, hm? You need your rest, darling, and tomorrow we’ll bring you home, where you belong.” 

Behind her, Joseph hummed in agreement, shifting her slightly against him so he could lead her back inside. 

The words bubble out of her mouth before she could even think to stop them, spoken barely above a whisper. “Am I weak?” 

John froze, and she could feel Joseph stiffen behind her, but her eyes were focused on Jacob who paused mid-step and spun on his heel, those blue eyes of his wide and furious.

For one awful moment as he advanced on her, shoving John out of the way with a snarl, Rook thought he was going to hit her, or kill her for that matter. Instinctively she cringed back into Joseph’s protective grasp, but instead of raising his hand against her Jacob just closed the distance between them, fisting the material of Rook’s dress and yanking her up against him. With none of John or Joseph’s gentleness he used his free hand to grip her jaw and force her to meet his gaze head on. 

“You are the furthest fucking thing from weak, you understand me, pup?” he growled. “You survived, you walked away, _twice_ , and when that piece of shit nearly killed you, you still managed to fight through the pain to make it halfway through my mountains.” Something shifted in Jacob’s eyes, an almost hungry gleam replacing the righteous fury. His thumb, still stained with her husband’s blood, crept up and traced the curve of her lip. He chuckled as she shivered against him. “You don’t know how strong you really are, Dep, but don’t worry, I’ve got you now.” 

He let her go, releasing her back into his brother’s waiting arms.

“Your family will take care of you, just like we promised.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed, let me know if you did with some Kudos or comments :)


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